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Sree Karpaga Vinayagar Temple, Walthamstaw ■ Maheswaran Marisamy fter a process of discussion between the founder Mr. Muruguppillai Gopalakrishnan and Priest Sivasri Sellappa Pattar and it was decided that the Hindus in the East London must have to have a Lord Ganesh Temple. At that time there was only one Ganesh temple in the UK which was built in Wimbledon. It was actually a joint effort of these two men that this temple was created. On 9 September 2000, God Ganesh, God Shiva, Goddess Menadshi, God Muruga, Goddess Valli, Theivanai and Navagragas were temporally established in a small room at Bedford Road. Initially the residents at Bedford Road were not happy about this temple, but with the strong support of the devotees, the Local Authority approved the plan and granted to build the temple. The design work which started in 2000 provided a main shrine and the other separate shrines associated with the deities were God Shiva, Goddess Menadshi, God Krishna, Goddess Lakshimi, God Hanuman, God Balamurugan, God Murugan with Goddess Valli, Theivanai, God Iyappan, God Sunthareswarar, Goddess Menadshi, God Nadarajar, Goddess Parvathy, God Prathoshanayagar, Goddess Sagunthaladevi, God Vairavar, Navagragas and Vasantha Mandapam. All these shrines were specially built by the supervision of Sivasri Balakumar, who is an expert in the building temples in the Western countries. On 2 September 2001 more than 1000 devotees participated in the heath taking ceremony. At the conclusion of the morning ceremony for the deities, a Maheswara puja was performed enabling the devotees to partake in the lunch organised for the occasion. In the evening “Thirukkalyanam” was held to celebrate the event. This God Ganesh Temple has its place amongst the Hindu Temples all over the world. The vision, dedication, courage and indomitable spirit of Hindu com-
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munity in the UK- a priceless and everlasting legacy is seen through the establishment of a magnificent temple like this. This unique temple will transcend time barriers to remain as an icon symbolising the contribution of Hindu community to a multicultural society. At present besides the annual Vasantha Navarathiri and Mahotsavam, all other religious days are celebrated. The spiritual committee has also undertaken to run the following programs: l Conducting Hinduism classes and teach Pannisai l Organising religious and spiritual lectures and workshops l An elderly association formed and have their needs fulfilled l Encouraging and arranging bhjanan session at the temple by interested devotee groups Hinduism class for the children have commenced in 2008 and is conducted every Tuesday evenings. Also, whenever a natural disaster occurred in Sri Lanka or anywhere else, the temple has always helped the sufferers by sending food, clothes and funds. Other Hindu Temples for British Tamils in the UK l Tividale Tirupathy Balaji Temple, Address: Dudley Road East Tividale Birmingham B69 3DU Tel: 012 1544 2256. l High Gate Hill Murugan Temple, Address: 200A Archway Road London N6 5BA Tel: 020 8348 9835 l London Murugan Temple, Address: 78 Church Road E12 London Tel: 020 8542 7482 l London Sivan Kovil, Address: 4A Clarendon Rise